Originally Posted by
cyclehen
Over training is really hard to diagnose...<snip>...Fatigue, irritability, and mood changes may be more reliable symptoms.
Thing is, by the time I'm tired and feeling moody, it's already too late. When I feel that way it's not "rest up for the next few days," but rather "stay off your bike for one month."
Unless the fatigue and irritability as signs of impending overtraining are manifested in more subtle ways, and I need to be more attuned to myself? Gawd, I really hate where this is going...I'm self-obsessed enough as it is, it's not a trait I admire in me or anybody. And how can I be sure if a given evening's fatigue and irritability aren't simply due to an annoying client at work and some stale pasta? Sheesh.
Originally Posted by
cyclehen
You describe yourself as "addicted" to cycling. You should look a bit further into your exercise patterns and what drives you to exercise too hard too often.
I like being out there for two hours in the countryside. I'd like to lose some more weight, and be in better shape.
Originally Posted by
cyclehen
Cross-training is also helpful.
Thing is, I've added some weight-training and walking into the mix, and I think that added to the overload. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to do a decathlon every day. In actual fact, the way it looks now I should probably only do weights once a week.
Originally Posted by ericm979
From what you have posted I think it's more likely to be the stress. But the stress and your body's response to it will make it easier for you to overreach/overtrain.
What annoys me is that I don't think I have a lot of stress in my life. As a freelance translator, what often happens is I'll have three easy days with very little work followed by a sudden onslaught of projects over two days, all "due yesterday." Feast or famine, peaks and valleys, 0 to 100 in 5 seconds.
Which can be stressful, I guess.